Government machinery, especially civic body is becoming dependent totally on the hospitals run by medical education department for treating coronavirus patients. The civic body should develop its own hospitals which would not only benefit people but also distribute the load of patients. This load-sharing bring improvement in the treatment also, pointed out Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH). The MARD members on Monday met Divisional Commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar and apprised him the suffering through which the patients are undergoing. The Resident doctors said, “On a 19-bed casualty, we had to manage upto 65 patients those who are requiring oxygen and sometimes ventilator also.

 

We are given unofficial orders to close the casualty after a certain limit. But we the resident doctors of Nagpur feel that it is unethical and inhuman to deny admission to a patient who could get better with proper treatment. As a result of insufficiency of beds, so many people die not due to COVID-19 but due to administrative failure nearly 100 in the last 15 days.” “In cities like Mumbai and Pune, Municipal Corporation has its own hospitals and jumbo centres to manage and treat those suffering from COVID-19. But NMC is totally dependent on GMCH and IGGMCH for treatment of such patients. NMC doesn’t have even one ICU bed of its own. During first wave, they were totally dependent on us and we worked to our maximum for the betterment of patients. It is deplorable that, even during the second wave, NMC is totally dependent on resident doctors of GMCH and IGGMCH. We are just mere students who are supposed to be trained in our concerned specialities,” said MARD.

 

MARD further brought to the notice of civic body, “Patient care being our utmost concern, the basic demand of COVID-19 positive patient is Oxygen. It is not being provided by NMC. Even though the second wave was anticipated earlier, literally there was zero preparedness at administrative level. When the same question was raised, we were questioned back that ‘why haven’t you doctors alerted us before?’. “We are doctors and not administrators. It is the sole responsibility of the administration to be prepared for the crisis situation in this pandemic. COVID-19 positive cases increased to more than 7,000 and we cannot anticipate further for how long this situation is going to continue or even rise. It is an act of madness to convince themselves that it will reduce by a week or two and till that we have to manage. We had sacrificed our academics for the last 1 year in this pandemic.

 

And we are ready to work even more, for patients care. As residents doctors, we can give suggestions to NMC,” stated MARD. Some of the suggestions made by MARD include to make arrangements of oxygen supply in a school or any facility near GMCH and IGGMCH, so that if there is insufficiency of beds, the patients can manage with oxygen in these facilities. If the patients get serious, they can shifted on a priority basis based on bed availability. Once the NEET exam is over on April 18, passed out MBBS doctors can be contacted and asked to work in COVID, considering their working period in their one year compulsory bond . This applies for both UG and PG. “NMC doesn’t want to accept its failure in being prepared for the pandemic. It is disheartening that there are no plans for facing the future days by administration in this pandemic. It’s time to act fast, because people are dying right in front of our eyes,” alleged MARD.